Release rigging for railway-car couplers



Get, 2, 1923. 1,469,292

M. F. COX

RELEASE RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CAR COUPLERS Filed Oct. 26. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jive/afor- MWEI'O'EUOX Aiiorzzgy Oct. 2 1923.

M. F. COX

RELEASE RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CAR GOUPLEYiS Filed Oct. 26. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 8 Ewen for MJ/ardFUox Afforn y Patented Get. 2, 1923.

rarrnannr. Cox, noUrsvILLnKnnrUoKy,nssrenon ,Iro Union Mme. rnonuo'rs oontrnny or oHIoAeoJLLINoIs, a conronarron or DELAWARE.

antnnsnareerneron nAILwAYmAR-ootrrnnrts. a

I "Application filed October 25, 1921. Sean noiis'ioa zs':

. To aZZ whom iti'may concern;

Be it known that 1, MILLARD. F. Cox, a

.citizen' of "the United States, 'residing in Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Release Rigging for 'Railwa y-Car Couplers,' of which the: follow- .-ing is a specification. j v I v This invention relates-to improvements in release rigging for railway car couplers and more particularly to a new and'novel form ofpin lifting link. i I

It is an object of this invention to :provide a flexible pin lifting link between thecar coupler lock pin and the crank arm of the rotatable operating rod of usual construe tion, which link is of simple form, positive 7 in operation, efiicient in service and complies with the requirements of the safety appliance rules of the Interstate Commerce Commission.

A great many cars inthe past have been equipped with the rotatable operating rod having a crankarm connected to the car.

coupler lock .pin by a chain and clevis, which now does not comply wlth the Interstate Commerce Commissmnrules, and it is an object of this invention to provide a link that may be readily applied to this type of release rigging and substituted for the chain and clevis or use with new operating parts. This improved link may be called a slip link as. it is made in two parts, each of which is undetachable whenapplied to the eyes in the crank arm and lock pin respectively and slide over each other so that the link-is self adjusting in. service during draft and buffing or curving. I

While the'preferred form of this invention is illustrated upon the accompanying sheets of drawings, yet it is to be understood that minor detail changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a View inside elevation of the end portion of a freight car to which this improved slip link has been applied, indi- Fig.3 is. mite in Side wan of e 2'.

1 Fig. 4; is aiwtop planiview of Fig. '2.

r'Figs. 5,.6,l-: and T are views-similar tor- Figs. 2, Y3; and A: respectively of the other J member of this part of the slip link. 1

F ig. 8. 118 3: View in side elevation illustrate" ing the application. (if. this slip link to the crank arm coupler lock pin.

Fig. 9 is a viewjinlfrontelevation pf- '8 are all of usua-lconstruction. 5 The slip link contemplatedin thisinvens tion is best illustrated .in Figs. 1 8 and 9 in which the link is shown to be formed in twoparts of two members each. The members 10 and 11 of the upper part are formed with their upper ends passing through the, eye 12 of the crank arm 7 and the members" 12 and 13 of the lower part with their lower ends passingthrough the eye, 15 of the coupler lock pin5. The adjacent ends 16 and 17 of both parts are bent at right angles to their respective bodies and then bent to completely. enclose with sliding contact the adjacent body of thef'other member so that i the end of the member 10 embraces the-body of member 12 with the, end of member 11 em bracing the body of member 13 and thereby forming a slip connection between the upper 1 and lower parts of thelink between the crank arm and thelock pin which will allow the link to contract or expand during draft or bufling without raising the lock pin.

The ends of the upper and lower parts adapted to pass through the eyes of the crank arm and lock pin are similarly formed and each bent in the form of an eye or full circles of equal radii with the termination of each end adjacent its respective body and the diameter ofsuch dimension as to allow full play of' the part in the eye of the crank and pin respectively.- As shown in'Figs. 2, J

3, 4 and 8 the member 11 is throughout the curved portion reduced in thickness, as shown by the numeral 18, while the. curved member 12 of that part is slotted, .as indi-- cated by the: numeral 19 with the slot of such dimensions as to receive the reducedportion 18, as shown in Fig. 8.

' it is readily seen that theinterlockingeyee of the members of each part 'rein'fo'rce'the respective members and the operation'of-at- .taching them to the crank arm and pin is extremely simple like applying a. split link to a chain or' a key to a key ring.

l illustratesthe-locked position of v r the coupler head wlith't-herelease-rigging in normal position. From the above descrip- "tion and other views ofthedrawings it is a readily seen th at this link may adapt itself to anyofithe positions 'o'fthe coupler head in service without disturbing the normal position of the lock Tpiin. :By lifting on jthe o perating Jrod handle 8 the crank army is raised which will first bring the embracing .ends 1 6 and :17 of the parts of the link in conta'ct and then throngfh the link liizt the lock pin to uncouple the car, as shown in dotted lines in 1- and with "the lock pin in locked set position therp'a'rts slip ever h each other so that the crankarm may return to its normal horizontal position with the operating handle adjacent and parallel to the end sill. y

dd/hat I ;c l ai m is:

1. Ina car coupler release rigging, a pin lifting link formed of two parts adapted to sli'deoyjer each other, each respective part formed of "two independent members, 7 the adjacent ends of each set of members having a sliding connection with the body of the other'part, and the opposite ends provided with eyes, one of which is reduced in thick ness and the 'othe'r's'lotted to receive the re :duced portion for embracing the" lock pin and operating crank by respective .eyes :thereo-i.

-12. in a car coupler release rigging a pin "lifting link formed of two parts adapted to passing throngh thev slide over each other, each respe tiv part" formed of two independent memb -1th opposite ends f which are provided-With eyes, :oneof which is redii'ce'd lin thickness and the other slotted ;to ;rec eiye the reduced portion for embracing the lock pin and operating crank by passing through the respective eyes -thereo5t.

MILLARD i 

